Liverpool vs Aston Villa betting tips
- Draw & both teams to score – 9/5 Ladbrokes
- Cody Gakpo to score or assist – 11/10 Bet365
For the second weekend in a row, Liverpool are in Premier League action on a Saturday night, with Arne Slot’s side desperate for a result against Aston Villa as the Dutchman looks to turn things around at Anfield (8pm, TNT Sports 1).
Liverpool have now lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, with their last Premier League win coming against rivals Everton on 20 September, and some betting sites have now pushed their Premier League winner odds out to 8/1.
While the Reds are doing well in Europe, they have exited the Carabao Cup after a much-changed side was soundly beaten at home by Palace on Wednesday, and pressure is starting to build on Slot despite his title win only five months ago.
That is unfortunately the nature of the job at a club the size of Liverpool, though as his Manchester United counterpart Ruben Amorim has found, you only need a few positive results to ease the pressure.
Slot will be hoping to steady the ship this weekend when Aston Villa come to town, though based on the Villans’ recent form, the Reds likely won’t have an easy evening.
Last week’s 1-0 home win over Manchester City was a fifth win in six games for Unai Emery’s side, and the win away at Spurs the week before that shows that Villa are capable of getting big results away from home too.
Only goal difference separates these sides in seventh and eighth in the table, though Liverpool remain heavy favourites despite their recent results, with football betting sites making them odds-on to get back to winning ways.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa prediction: Villa can frustrate desperate hosts
Defending champions Liverpool are currently in the middle of an almost unprecedented run of form both in the Premier League and other major competitions, with Arne Slot’s side having exited the Carabao Cup in midweek after losing at home to Crystal Palace.
The loss to Galatasaray in the Champions League was their first in Europe this season but the Reds have also lost four times in the league this term, to Manchester United, Chelsea, Palace and most recently Brentford.
Slot’s side have lost four of their last five in the league, and while the performance against the Bees did little to encourage fans, they will at least get key midfielder Ryan Gravenberch back this week.
As for Villa, their recent form suggests they shouldn’t be such heavy underdogs on Premier League betting sites, with the 1-0 win over City last time out providing a clean sheet against the league’s most in-form attacker, Erling Haaland.
However, that match took place at Villa Park, and Anfield is a difficult place to come, let alone to keep a clean sheet. Moreover, Villa aren’t exactly scoring freely, with eight goals across their last five matches, while they lost their last away game to Dutch minnows Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.
With Liverpool scoring at least once in all of their recent losses, the Reds are clearly still capable of finding the net – their only issue is defending it, having conceded nine times over their last five matches (not including last time out with a changed team against Palace).
These defensive lapses and difficulty in defending set-pieces means Villa could find some joy at Anfield, and with even more pressure on the rested players to perform, it could well work against the hosts.
Considering the form of both sides, it is surprising to see the hosts as such heavy favourites, and we think there could be hidden value in the price for a score draw.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa prediction 1: Draw & both teams to score – 4/1 Ladbrokes
Liverpool vs Aston Villa betting tips: Gakpo to continue leading from the front
Cody Gakpo has been one of the bright lights in the new-look Liverpool attacking unit this season, with the reliable Dutchman leading from the front in recent weeks with goals against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Eintracht Frankfurt.
And though his contribution has not been enough to earn points for there Reds in recent weeks, continued positive performances from the 26-year-old could well help turn the tide if some of his teammates can improve their own contributions.
Gakpo has scored three goals and registered one assist over the last four games, and he was unlucky to hit the woodwork twice in the loss to Manchester United, though he did score in that game and against Chelsea and Frankfurt.
Though he was less effective against Brentford, his expected assists (xA) of 0.57 shows that he can be effective even when not shooting or scoring. With Salah struggling, Isak ruled out once more and Ekitike having only scored or assisted once in his last five games, we think a wager on Gakpo to score or assist is a strong option.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa prediction 2: Cody Gakpo to score or assist – 11/10 Bet365
Liverpool vs Aston Villa team news
Liverpool vs Aston Villa predicted line-ups
Free bet offer for Liverpool vs Aston Villa
We expect both teams to score at Anfield on Saturday and anyone wishing to follow that bet can get enhanced odds of 30/1 on goals at both ends with Betano.
This special Betano sign up offer is only available to new customers that sign up using the link below, opt in to the promotion and make a first deposit of at least £5.
Next, wager a maximum of £1 on both teams to score in the Liverpool vs Aston Villa match market at the normal odds.
If both teams score at Anfield, Betano will pay out on the £1 bet in cash with the extra amount credited in free bets. For example, a £1 bet at 1/1 gives £2 real cash and £29 in free bets.
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